Bruce byron devlin



Sept. 11, 1923.

' B. B. DEVLlN BUTTON FASTENER Filed May 1, 1922 Patented Sept. 11, 1923UNITEDLSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRUCE BYRON DEVLIN, or onIoAeo, rLnmors.

. Bu'r'ron ras'rmmn.

Application filed May 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BRUCE BYRON DEVLIN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,haveinvented certain new member with the button hole has been placedaround the button.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: F igs'l is a plan of a fastener embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a section showing the button after it has beenshifted to draw the members together. Fig. 3 is a section, -the buttonbeing shown in position to receive or release the member 'With thebutton hole therein. Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2.

The invention is exemplified with members 5 and 6 of a shoe or otherarticle which are to be secured together. A button 7 is held in a socket8 in member 5 and shoemember 6 is provided with a button-hole 9. Thesocket 8 is formed of an inner plate'10 and an outer plate 11 formed ofsheet metal and integrally connected by walls 12 which form the sides ofa guideway or channel 13 between inner and outer plates 10 and 11. Anelongated slot 14 is formed in the outer plate 11 to permit the shank 7"of the button 7 to move from end to end of the socket. The base of thebody extends into the guideway 13 and is enlarged laterally, as at 15,

to underlie the plate 11, so that it cannot.

slip out of the guide. The base of the button has one of its ends formedto engage ratchet-teeth formed on the bottom of plate 10 to lock thebutton against movement towards the outer end of the guideway 13 and toslip over said teeth when the button is shifted in reverse direction.The base of the buttonis also formed with a stop, 18 to underlie the topplate 11 and limit the rocking movement of the button when its tooth 16is held by the teeth 17 A stop 19 is pro- 1922. :Serial no. 557,648.

. vided to prevent the button from being disconnected from its socket,The margins of the plates 10 and 11 may be pressed toward one another tothe member 5.

In operation, the'button 7 will be normally disposed adjacent the outerend of socket 8, so that member 6 can be easily slipped over the button7 and so that the grip the material forming shank 7 will be held inthebutton-hole 9.

When the members have been thus connected, button 7 will be pushedinwardly until the members have been drawn together as tightly asdesired around the foot. In doing this, the tooth 16 will slip overtheratchet teeth 17and be automatically locked. The usual tension upon themembers will tend to hold the tooth 7 in interlocked relation with oneof the teeth 17. When it is desired to disconnect the members, button7.will be rocked around the bearing between stop 18 and plate "11sufliciently to cause tooth 16 to cleard-the tooth 17 and thereupon, thebutton will be free to pass to the outer end of the socket. Inthatposition, the .members can be easily disconnected.

The invention exemplifies a button fastener in which the button ismovably held and automatically locked in a socket which permits thebutton to be easily and quickly manipulated to draw the member'stogether or to release them for disconnection.

While the invention has been described in connection with a buttonfastener for a shoe, it will be understood that the fastener may be usedfor other purposes.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appendedclaims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: 5 v

1. The combination of a pair of members provided with a button-hole anda button respectively, of a socket attached to one member and having anelongated guideway and means to automatically lock the but- .ton when itis manually shifted in the socket to draw the members together.

2. The combination of a pair of members provided with a button-hole anda button respectively, of a socket attached to one member and having anelongated guideway therein in which the button is slidably held, andmeans to automatically lock the button when it is manually shifted inthe socket to draw the members together. said button being movablyretained in the guideway to permit it to be released from the lockingmeans. v

3. The combination of a pair of members provided with a button-hole anda button respectively, of a socket attached to one means in the socketwith which the tooth will interlock when the members are drawn togetherby the button.

' 4. The combination of a pair of members V provided with a button-holeand a button respectively, of a socket attached to one member and havingan elongated guideway therein in which the body is slidably held,

said button being provided with a shank, the socket being provided withan elongated slot through which the shank extends, a tooth at the innerend of the shank,-means in the socket with which the tooth interlockwhen the members are drawn together by the button, and an abutment onthe button cooperating with the tooth to limit the movement of the toothrelatively to the socket.

BRUCE BYRON DEVLIN.

